Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the art of safety restraint devices for the head and neck of an occupant of a vehicle, and more particularly to a restraint device for controlling and limiting the forward and downward movement of the occupant""s head when the vehicle is subjected to deceleration forces, and a method of restraining such occupant""s head.
(2) Description of Related Art
An occupant of a high performance car, truck, plane, or boat (hereinafter referred to collectively as xe2x80x9cvehiclexe2x80x9d) commonly wears a helmet for protection from head injury and also wears a shoulder harness which restrains torso movements relative to the seat and vehicle. When the vehicle undergoes deceleration either in normal operation or in a crash, the torso of the occupant is restrained by the seat and harness, to move with the vehicle, but the helmeted head is commonly unrestrained except by contact with portions of the vehicle or seat. Thus, loads which constrain the head to move with the torso are transmitted primarily through the neck. Such neck loads lead to fatigue of the operator during normal vehicle operation and to injury in a vehicle crash.
The related art has shown various types of head support devices for use for occupants of a vehicle. Illustrative are U.S. Pat. No. 3,278,230 to Boyce et al; U.S. Pat. No. 3,900,896 to Ackerman; U.S. Pat. No. 3,873,996 to Varteressian; U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,822 to Sawyer; U.S. Pat. No. 3,818,509 to Romo et al; U.S. Pat. No. 3,499,681 to Benitez et al; U.S. Pat. No. 3,134,106 to Shaffer et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,510 to Hubbard; U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,459 to Patterson; U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,147 to Adams et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,708 to Monson et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,770 to Allen et al; U.S. Pat. No. 6,330,722 to Betts; U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,566 to Hubbard; and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2001/0002087 to Townsend.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,278,230 to Boyce et al describes a shell and frame which is individually fitted and worn on the torso of an astronaut or a crew member of a high performance aircraft. This shell and frame serve as the seat back once it is secured into the aircraft by means of pins. A headrest is mounted to the frame extending upward from the torso shell to behind the head. The head is held in the headrest by a strap on each side of the helmet. The straps are retracted, when the restraint system is actuated in an emergency situation, to securely hold the head to the headrest There is no specific description given of the placement of the straps relative to the geometric configuration of the head and helmet. Except for rearward movements of the helmet which are restrained by contact with the headrest, the head and helmet are not restrained under normal vehicle operation but only by retraction of the straps on the reels which must be actuated for system operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,900,896 to Ackerman describes a bar which attaches to the rear of a football helmet and extends downward to fit into a cylindrical guide attached to the shoulder pads. This device would allow only movements of the helmet relative to the shoulder pads which are vertical along the axis of the bar and rotational about the axis of the bar; other motions are restrained by the device. The restrained motions are needed for athletic performance or vehicle operation and the motions not restrained by the device could result in potentially fatiguing or injurious loading in the neck.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,873,996 to Varteressian describes a device (similar to that described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,900,896 to Ackerman above) which includes a bar with its upper end attached to the rear of the helmet in a track to allow vertical motion of the bar relative to the helmet within limits of the track and the lower end of the bar attached by a ball and socket to a jacket worn on the torso. Movements of the neck are restrained by the ball-and-socket at the jacket and the slider in the track at the helmet; these restrained neck motions are not those that would naturally occur and they could be irritating to the user. For example, lateral bending of the neck to the right or left must follow the combination of rotations and translations dictated by the center of ball-and-socket joint rather than the motions of the vertebral linkage. If the stops in the ball-and-socket and slider are configured correctly, this design could reduce the potential for injury at the extremes of neck motion.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,822 to Sawyer describes a harness with straps on the torso and connected to the helmet to prevent the helmet from leaving the head. The harness straps do not substantially restrain the forward bending of the neck and they could cause potentially injurious compressive and bending loading in the neck under extreme neck motions.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,818,509 to Romo et al describes a strap between a football helmet and shoulder pads which is similar in effect to the harness described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,822 to Sawyer above.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,499,681 to Benitez et al describes a device as such: xe2x80x9cColumnar support extends upward from the back of the occupant for attachment to the crash helmet.xe2x80x9d This support is not substantively described.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,134,106 to Shaffer et al describes an attachment of a football player""s helmet to the shoulder pads by pin joints on either side of the neck.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,510 to Hubbard describes a neck protection device that includes in combination a high collar extending over the occupant""s shoulders and a set oftethers for attachment to the helmet and collar. The high collar extends upward to adjacent the center of gravity of the head and helmet which is about eye level of the occupant. This head and neck support requires that the loading from the tethers be resisted by the collar. This loading configuration required a large collar structure which often interferes with the occupant""s helmet.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,459 to Patterson describes a head restraint device which connects the helmet of the occupant to the vehicle seat. The head restraint has a restraining strap which applies a single force to the head to restrain the head from horizontal forward motion and a strap assembly on the helmet to hold the head upright. The restraining strap pulls the head directly back near the middle of the head and helmet. The restraining strap only applies the force when the deceleration forces are above a predetermined level. The attachment of the strap to the helmet allows the helmet to rotate about a vertical axis approximately 180 degrees. The restraint can also be connected to the torso of the occupant to simultaneously retract the head and the torso. The restraint must be detached for the occupant to exit the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,147 to Adams et al describes a seat insert for a vehicle which maintains an occupant of the vehicle in a forward position during high G acceleration. The seat insert has a head support member for supporting the occupant""s head during a forward, leaning posture. A head support member restraint cord is provided to restrain the movement of the head support member during an occupant""s forward lean. The top and bottom of the helmet are restrained to the head support member which is behind and above the top of the helmet. The head support member tends to resist motions of the occupants head which are downward due to accelerations. The seat insert also includes a back plate assembly connected to the head support member for supporting the spine in its natural curvature. The back plate assembly is able to pivot forward relative to the seat of the vehicle. The seat insert is able to transfer G-induced weight from the spine to the back plate assembly and ultimately to the existing seat of the vehicle. The seat insert restrains the occupant relative to the seat and must rely on restraint of the torso to be compatible with the head restraint for restraining the head relative to the torso.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,708 to Monson et al describes a head support apparatus which can be attached to a body support device. The apparatus includes a beam housing attachable to the body support device such as to be rigid in the y-z plane but to be rotatable about an x-axis. The x-axis is defined as extending through the subject""s face to the back of the head. The y-axis is defined as extending laterally from ear to ear and the z-axis is defined as extending vertically from the top of the head through the subject""s chin. A U-shaped rigid beam is mountable in a channel of the beam housing such that the beam is rigidly supported within the x-y plane but is able to be rotated about the x-axis. Helmet attachments are provided for supporting the helmet relative to the rigid beam within the x-z plane but allowing rotation of the helmet about the y-axis.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,770 to Allen et al describes a helmet having a chin protector formed thereon, a keeper plate overlaying the shoulders, upper chest, including the sternum area, and upper back of driver, a plurality of straps connecting to the shoulder, chest and back portion of the keeper plate to aligned portions of the helmet and a pair of shoulder straps securing the keeper plate to andLe driver.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,330,722 to Betts describes a head and neck stabilizing system includes two end connectors that are separately attachable to the shoulder belt system or the suit worn by the occupant on opposite sides of the helmet. The two end belts each have one end affixed to one end connector and an opposite end connected to one buckle, respectively.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,566 to Hubbard is an improvement on the neck protection device previously described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,510 but still incorporates the use of a collar that fits around the occupant""s shoulders, adjacent the neck, and on front of the occupant""s chest. The device is known as the HANS device and uses a high collar around the back of the driver""s head attached to the driver""s shoulder safety harness. The helmet is attached to this collar by two straps. Because of its bulkiness, the HANS system makes it more difficult for the race car driver to climb in and out of stock and race cars, and the device does not work well in some supine seating positions. Different size HANS harnesses may be required for different size drivers and/or cockpits. Many drivers refuse to wear the device because it is bulky, uncomfortable and restricts head movement during driving.
U.S. Pat. Application Publication No. 2001/0002087 to Townsend describes a helmet restraint system that secures the helmet of a driver or passenger occupant of a vehicle, such as a race car, to the structural chassis, body, or frame of the vehicle, independent of the shoulder harness or seatbelt.
Other U.S. patents more distantly related to the present invention include U.S. Pat. No. 1,144,150 to Marcousky; U.S. Pat. No. 3,074,669 to Bohlin; U.S. Pat. No. 3,099,261 to Doss et al; U.S. Pat. No. 3,148,375 to Jones; U.S. Pat. No. 3,329,464 to Barwood et al; U.S. Pat. No. 3,671,974 to Sims; U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,822 to Sawyer; U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,193 to Newman; U.S. Pat. No. 4,319,362 to Ettinger; U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,613 to Reggio et al; U.S. Pat No. 602,609 to Tatro; and WO 93/05986 to Jeong.
There remains the need for an economical helmet restraint system which is easily mounted and directly attached to the occupant and can easily exit with the occupant from the vehicle in the event of an emergency egress situation, such as fire. The present invention does not require the implementation of a quick release latch or latches to release and free the driver from the helmet restraint as is required with the Head and Neck Support (HANS) device (U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,566), and other current helmet restraint systems. However, a quick release latch could be incorporated into the helmet restraint system. The occupant or rescue personnel can simply unlatch the safety harness or shoulder belt system, lean the occupant forward to pull the high-strength and lightweight rod out from under the shoulder harness or belt system, and the occupant can exit the vehicle. This invention is very small and unobtrusive in comparison to some of the prior art, especially the HANS device, which also improves the emergency egress of the occupant trying to exit through a window opening. The compactness and lightweight features of the invention does not interfere with the occupant""s mobility, and thus allows the occupant to wear the helmet restraint system while entering and exiting most vehicles. Other prior art devices must be installed once the occupant is in the vehicle or seat and removed prior to the occupant exiting the vehicle. The invention allows the occupant to easily remove the helmet restraint device while in the vehicle and then replace when needed as opposed to prior art that prohibits the occupant from removing and replacing the device while in the vehicle. The invention allows the occupant to comfortably and freely move their head from side to side via the cable assembly and belt systems without the inherent distraction and discomfort of a restrictive collar over the shoulder or helmet restraint interaction with the seating system. Some of the prior art can cause discomfort and tissue injury when worn for long periods of time.
Thus, the prior art does contain descriptions of related devices with some of the elements of the present invention including straps to restrain helmet motions and supports between helmet and shoulder harness. These prior devices are intended to protect the neck from injury; however, in their different configurations, they can cause compression on the neck and therefore increase the potential for neck and head injury. Furthermore, the prior art does not address the problems of emergency egress from the vehicle, driver comfort, the ease of which the occupant can remove and replace the helmet restraint system, and protection of the back of the head during the rebound phase of a crash event.
The present invention is directed towards a helmet restraint device for operationally joining a helmet worn by an occupant of a high-performance vehicle to the vehicle""s seat belt assembly. The helmet restraint device reduces potentially injurious forces to the occupant""s head and neck during high-deceleration of a vehicle, particularly a frontal collision. In particular, the helmet restraint device controls and limits forward and downward movement of the occupant""s head when subjected to the deceleration forces. The helmet restraint device is not fixably secured to the vehicle, is small and unobtrusive, and accordingly does not interfere with the occupant""s operation of the vehicle. Importantly, the helmet restraint device also does not impede the occupant""s egress from the vehicle, which is particularly important during an emergency situation.
In the broadest sense, the present invention is directed towards a helmet restraint apparatus for restraining the forward and downward movement of an occupant""s helmet and head during the deceleration of a vehicle. The helmet restraint apparatus comprises a helmet restraint device attached to the helmet. A portion of the helmet restraint device is disposed beneath the shoulder belts of the vehicle which serves to anchor the restraint device. The restraint device is moveable relative to the shoulder belts and loads against the shoulder belts during deceleration of the vehicle. Preferably, the restraint apparatus can include a flexible member having first and second sections. An attachment member is attached to the helmet and also to the first section of the flexible member. A rigid member is attached to the second section of the flexible member and is disposed beneath the shoulder belts. As a further option, fire retardant cloth can be attached to the helmet restraint device to protect the neck of the occupant.
In the broadest sense, the present invention also is directed towards a helmet restraint apparatus having means for loading the restraint device against shoulder belts of the vehicle and means for attaching the helmet restraint device to the helmet.
The present invention is also directed towards a method for restraining the downward and forward motions of the occupant""s head and neck during deceleration of the vehicle comprising the steps of providing a helmet restraint device, then moving the helmet restraint device relative to shoulder belts of the vehicle when the vehicle is subjected to deceleration, loading the helmet restraint device against the shoulder belts, and placing the helmet restraint device in tension. These steps result in restraining the forward and downward movement of the occupant""s head and helmet. Preferably, the steps can further include causing a resultant force vector (V) to pass through the forehead region of the helmet when the helmet restraint device is put into tension.
The principal object of the present invention is to provide a device for resisting the forward and downward motion of an occupant""s head and helmet worn thereon while in a vehicle during a high deceleration event, particularly a frontal collision.
Another object of the invention is to provide a helmet restraint device that is small and unintrusive which does not interfere with or cause discomfort to the occupant while operating the vehicle.
A further object of this invention is to provide a helmet restraint device that is not affixed to a vehicle so that the occupant can quickly egress the vehicle.
Another further object of the invention is to provide a helmet restraint device that is simple in configuration and use while effectively preventing potentially injurious load on an occupant""s neck during a collision event.
Another object of the invention is to provide a helmet restraint device that is inexpensive and doesn""t require modification of the vehicle.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method of restraining forward and downward motion of an occupant""s head and helmet while in a vehicle during a high deceleration event.